Libby's Second Bike Rant

This rant is for women cyclists, especially women of my generation 50+ yrs old. Now many of you will NOT see yourself in this post but many should. Women tend to constantly run themselves down, tell others that they are lousy cyclists, that they go slow, that they cannot do this or that.

I often hear, " I cannot bike fast, I cannot do more than 25 miles" and the list goes on and on. One lady recently emailed me, telling me that she wants to do a sponsored ride with me and that she hopes I can go slow enough for her. Meanwhile this lady left me in the dust on the last ride I did with her.

So this lady should own up to the fact that she is a fine cyclist and can ride very well. And be able to admit it.

I never hear men come to a ride and say, "I am a lousy rider, hope you all can go slow enough for me."

Yet women constantly underrate their abilities, their skills and their speed on a bike. If I had a nickel for every time I heard a lady cyclist say to me, " I am tired and will be way behind in this ride" and then ride 300 feet ahead of me the entire ride and smoke me on the hills, I would be a rich woman.

I could go on and on about women and our well practiced role of constantly downgrading ourselves. We are either too fat, too old, too slow or toooooo something or other. Recently my twin sister and I got out some old highschool pics of ourselves and were amazed at how pretty we were. We grew up thinking we were ugly high school girls when in fact it was just the opposite.

This disconnect that women have is amazing to me. Our inability to see ourselves for who we really are. Ya'd think we would outgrow this distorted image of ourselves but NO, every time I go out on my bike with other women, this awful distortion rears its ugly head.

Right now I am riding with some terrific women cyclists. We are all past 50 yrs of age and all of us can knock off a 50 mile ride with 4800 feet of climbing.

SO LADIES, stop telling me you cannot ride, cuz I am getting tired of it. Own up to your great skills and admit that you are one smokin' good cyclist.